Monday, July 15, 2013

ANIME EXPO 2013

Took a day off just to go to Anime Expo and actually came prepared to buy stuff, but the price for a badge (day pass) pretty much took a quarter of my budget. Haha.
This is how it looks like up front and not even inside the exhibit hall.

For some people who don't know, some people don't even buy a badge to go inside. They just dress up in their costumes or what you call a "cosplayer" - a person who dresses up like a character from a manga or anime series, a movie, a videogame, etc. (from Urban Dictionary). They just pretty much hang out there and pose in front of cameras.

(I think this year's AX broke the record of last year's attendees.)

DC Comics characters (cosplayers) gathered to pose in front of cameras. I think it was like 30+ cameras going off.
Different shapes and sizes of Batman, Joker, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Green Arrow, Slade or Deathstroke, Bane (from Batman: The Animated Series and from The Dark Knight), and etc...

Most of the anime characters that I saw didn't really put effort on their costume and quite boring. That's why I don't have any pictures of them...

(Inside the exhibit hall)
Me and my younger brother just drooled over the official licensed One Piece figures...

Official licensed One Piece - old and new Chopper hats for $20. (Not pictured, Luffy's Straw Hat for $17)
I wish I did not pass on them...

Couldn't really take pictures in the exhibit hall (where all the vendors are) because it was super crowded and you had to keep on moving or go with the flow of foot traffic.

Eventually we went to the gaming hall and they had little areas of different settings so you can pose and take pictures.
I wanted to take a picture in this setting, but it got to crowded... (Insert sad emoji face here)

Last year, I didn't really get to roam around because it was just a last minute decision to go.
What else can you expect beside anime, cosplayers, and merchandise? A gaming area.
They have every major systems: Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, PC, and even arcade with a change machine/persons.
Here's some people playing Nintendo Wii - Super Smash Bros Brawl area.

Then there's the PlayStation 3 area.
And yes, they have a projector so people can watch you play and embarrass yourself if you lose.
I watch some of them play and it was pretty serious.

Spectators...

PC area...
Once I saw them playing Counter Strike, I had to hop on the computer to play. Haha.
Well, you can't just pretty much just hop on it. You had to wait for your turn because each person is not being timed. It is up to the person when they're done playing so you had to vulture around for a spot.

Eventually, I spotted an open computer and got to play for a while. Although I was a bit rusty, I can still get headshots with a handgun and kill 2 people at the same time. Haha.

Of course, right when I saw the (panzer) tank outside of the LA Convention Center, Master P's Make 'Em Say Ugh came to mind. Haha.
#Selfie